Da Bird

All feather toys are not created equal. Some just dangle, even when humans wave them back and forth, but the way that Da Bird flutters through the air is truly irresistible. Just ask Newton, who knows exactly where it’s stored and gets excited every time the closet is open.

Popcorn Kicker Toy

There’s something that makes humans smile when they see a cat toy that looks like something else they are familiar with, and the roasted popcorn peanuts kicker toy one never fails to get a laugh, since it arrives like roasted peanuts in a paper bag. But what makes cats smile is the premium catnip inside. Pierre purrrsonally recommends this toy as one of his favorites.

meowbox

Wouldn’t it be cool to give a gift that keeps on giving? How about new toys and treats every month? The meowbox is a monthly cat subscription box for your cat, full of fun toys and tasty goodies, delivered to your door. Every box is personalized with your cat’s name(s), and every box purchased means a can of food purchased for a shelter cat. We reviewed the meowbox and gave it enthusiastic paws up. You can buy meowbox at a 10% discount with our exclusive discount code: CATSHERDYOU10 on the meowbox web site.

Sleepypod

It’s super-comfy, plush-lined cat bed. That’s all you have to tell your kitty. They don’t want to think about the other thing that happens to that comfy cat bed when it converts into a carrier and takes them to places they might not want to go. The Sleepypod is a comfortable bed to hang out in at home, and when you must travel, it’s a crash-tested carrier. We find it more calming and more comfortable to travel in our familiar, mobile pet bed than a traditional carrier, and it’s a favorite napping spot, too!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means we get a small commission for our cat treat fund if you purchase after clicking the link on this page.

My friend Anna-Marie told me recently that one of her cats is crazy for olives. I was surprised, and I had never heard of that. Then again, since I don’t like olives, there’s no likelihood that one of my cats would find one around the house, either.

For the purposes of science, that was going to have to change.

In the meantime, I did some research. Olives are well-known for containing oleic acid. In fact, oleic acid is the component of olive oil responsible for its ability help to lower blood pressure in humans.

Oleic acid is also a component of the facial pheromones your cat spreads by rubbing her chin against you or objects in the house. In fact, the artificial pheromone diffusers for cats you can purchase to plug in around the house have oleic acid as an ingredient in the synthetic pheromone.

It’s likely that cats who enjoy olives are actually responding to the oleic acid in the olives. They aren’t hoping to drop one into a martini or anything.

Cats have been known to go wild over squished odorous ants, which also contain oleic acid. So there seems to be a connection. My cats may never have seen an olive, but we have had ant invasions in the past, and they were completely uninterested. Maybe the ants in Florida wear deodorant.

At any rate, it was nearly time to try this olive thing at home. Not knowing anything about olives except I don’t like them on my pizza, I went to Whole Foods and selected four different olives from the olive bar. My main criteria was that they were all different and that none of them contained garlic or onions in the ingredient list.

I cut up very small pieces and put them on a plate for the cats to inspect.

Pierre: What did you get on your ear? It smells funny!

Ashton: It’s not me! * SNIFF SNIFF * It’s the stuff on this plate.

Newton: What ARE those things? They’re on a plate like food, but they don’t smell like food.

Ashton: If it’s on a plate, I think you’re supposed to eat it, not play with it.

Newton: I don’t see YOU eating it, Miss Smartystripes.

Ashton: I was saving whatever it is for you. Go right ahead.

Newton: No, that’s all right. * SCRATCH SCRATCH *

Newton: We don’t know what it is, but we’re holding out for something more appetizing.

Our household test was a bit of a failure. Olives got twelve paws down here, but apparently there are lots of cats out there who really love them. Do your cats love (or hate) olives?

A Harris Interactive poll explored how pets are members of the family, and people do things with their pets that they would their human family members. How does your household line up to these key answers?

I cat-sat a sick cat last week. Cousin Shep wasn’t feeling well before my sister left town, but this is a trip she couldn’t postpone. Besides, who would have guessed that eat less as days went by instead of more? So on Saturday morning when he refused food entirely, we were off to the vet.

I knew which vet to take him to because it’s the same as my vet. But once Dr. K started asking questions, I gave him the deer in headlights look to a lot of them. “Is his energy level normal?” What’s normal in a cat I don’t know on an everyday basis?

It it got me thinking how often those of us who have cats are asked to cat sit for friends and might not have that information available. Professional cat sitters have a checklist of information they gather from customers, but as amateurs, we don’t have a handy list of questions to ask that we might need to know on short notice if a cat we are caring for falls ill.

There’s no way to ask someone, “How active is your cat usually? I need to know in case he gets sick so I can compare.” But you can be as prepared as possible by making sure you know the basics:

Who is your cat’s regular veterinarian? (Name, address, phone number)

Does your cat have any health conditions I should know about? Allergies?

When your cat isn’t feeling well or is scared, where does he normally hide? (This one might save you a lot of time even with a healthy cat!)

Where do you keep your cat carrier?

Hopefully you won’t ever need to take anyone else’s cat to the vet while you’re cat sitting. But won’t you be glad you had this information if you do need it?

It’s also a good idea to talk to them about how to handle things in case you feel like their cat needs veterinary attention, but you can’t reach them for permission to take the cat to the vet. People are sometimes out of touch for an extended time while they are away, and you don’t want to have to wonder whether they would be all right with your taking their cat out of the house for medical care.

As for Cousin Shep, after treatment for a low-grade fever and nausea, he ate his first full meal in five days. A visit to the vet was just what he needed, even though he gave the epic stink-eye the whole time.

Read Ashton’s Story in Rescued, Volume 2

Read Us by Email

Don't miss a thing! Cats delivered to your email.

E-Mail Address

Archives

Archives

All Rights Reserved

Articles and images on this site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent. Please contact me if you are interested in reprinting or in having me write something unique for you.

Disclaimer

There are no veterinarians here. All health-related posts are the result of research and observation, but educational information is not a substitute for visiting your veterinarian. Do not self-diagnose your cat. For more information, see our disclaimer.